“I am guided by spiritual practices I don’t name as such: generosity, the impulse to give as much of myself as I can, respect for the beliefs of others, non-judgment, support and devotion to the simplest forms of life … Listening is also part of my practice … “ – Alma For Ada, IN SWEET COMPANY: CONVERSATIONS WITH EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN ABOUT LIVING A SPIRITUAL LIFE

Reading Kay’s books on listening, I found myself thinking that most of the time, listening has more to do with waiting until it’s our turn to talk –“getting a word in edgewise” — than taking what the other says to heart. We “hear” with our ears, but we don’t always listen with our hearts.

Listening actually has roots in spiritual practice — being attentive for, to, the voice of God, tuning into the great Aum vibration, opening to the music of the Universe, to The Comforter, to The Silence. When our ears grow accustomed to the sounds of cell phones, TV’s, and gangsta rap, we lose the ability to notice our inner voice, to be aware of what others don’t say, to be at peace in The Quiet.

We don’t have to agree with everything we hear; it’s more than likely we won’t. But, If we pay attention to or honor only what we agree with, we miss the opportunity to expand our knowing. As the Persian poet Hafiz once said, “How do I listen to others? As if everyone were my Master speaking to me.”

Whether your intention is to listen to another, listen to your Inner Wisdom or listen to the Universal Hum, here are a few tips that may deepen that communion:

Listen without assumptions or judgments, without the need to accomplish, prove or justify.

Be sincere. Smile. Open your heart.

Listening in this manner has other benefits: It activates your neural network and helps you create synapses, connections, within yourself and in the world. It helps you become sensitive to expanded levels of consciousness within yourself and the world. It helps you interact more harmoniously within yourself and the world. It helps you become more Self-reliant. Sacred listening is about “being” rather than “doing.” “Getting a word in edgewise” is from the ego. Discussion and debate are from the head. Real dialog and conversation — inner and outer — are from the heart. Any way you look at it, Sacred Listening is about love.

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About The Authors

Margaret Wolff
Margaret Wolff is the author of “In Sweet Company: Conversations with Extraordinary Women About Living A Spiritual Life.” Her women’s spirituality retreats create openings for women to explore how to live in ways that feed their soul. To learn more » Posts by Margaret Wolff

Margaret Wolff

Margaret Wolff has a gift of luring people into becoming who they really are. She speaks and writes about things women care about: how to make our lives and our work be about what we value most; how to navigate challenge and change; how to live with integrity and grace, to look at error in ourselves and others in a forgiving way and view life as an invitation to transform ourselves into instruments for the Greater Good.

"I laughed, I cried, I was silent, I cheered. Most of all, I loved." Spoken by a woman at In Sweet Company Retreat, these words express what women experience when Margaret engages them in dynamic, soul-searching conversations about their lives.

Margaret holds degrees in art therapy, psychosynthesis, and leadership and human behavior. Her work takes her to universities, to conferences and retreat settings, to living rooms and board rooms -- wherever women gather. Her articles, essays, and stories are featured in numerous magazines; her womenâ€™s spirituality retreats are held throughout the U.S. Margaretâ€™s last book, In "Sweet Company: Conversations With Extraordinary Women About Living a Spiritual Life" (Jossey Bass), is a collection of intimate conversations she had with 14 famous women of various ages, faiths, and backgrounds about how their spirituality nourishes them and serves as a steady compass for their decision-making. Olympia Dukakis, Riane Eisler, Zainab Salbi, Margaret Wheatley, Sri Daya Mata, Lauren Artress, and other women artists, activists, religious leaders, and visionary thinkers shared their lives with her. You can too!